User:Giacorbett/Deforestation in Madagascar
Environmental Impacts
[edit]Biodiversity
[edit]Since its divergence from Africa over 88 million years ago, Madagascar has evolved into an incredibly biodiverse island.[1] Including more than 13000 plants and 700 vertebrates,[1] close to 90% of Madagascar's species are endemic and are found nowhere else in the world.[2] However, with deforestation depleting key habitats and food resources, over 8000 species are either classified as vulnerable or endangered and some, including 15 species of lemur, have actually gone extinct.[3] Coupled with its geographic isolation thus increasing vulnerability to destruction,[2] deforestation will continue to impact Madagascar's flora and fauna, increasing rates of extinction.
MY ADDITION:
Lemur Biodiversity
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Lemurs are an endemic species of primates to the island of Madagascar.[4] They act as pollinators, seed dispersers, and prey in their ecosystems.[5] The majority of lemurs are classified as endangered due to human activities, including deforestation.[4] This deforestation has led to different forest types in Madagascar: primary or intact forests, secondary or intermediate forests, mosaic forests, and agricultural land.[4] The primary forests have not been deforested and are the most biodiverse.[6] These forests have the highest abundance of lemurs.[5] The secondary forests are somewhat degraded, but some lemur species are just as abundant in these areas.[5] Mosaic forests are fragmented and are heavily affected by deforestation.[5] Some species of lemurs cannot survive in these forests,[4] while others can.[6] Survival in these mosaic forests depends on a variety of factors, such as diet.[5] Research suggests that omnivores and folivores can tolerate these varying habitats since their diets include a wide variety of food sources.[5] For example, microcebus, an omnivore, has been found living in these forests and takes advantage of the abundance of insects here.[6] However, lemurs that have specialized diets, such as frugivores, are more sensitive to habitat disturbance.[5] These lemurs are found more often in primary forests.[6]
Research in Masoala National Park, the largest protected forest in Madagascar,[5] showed that there was a positive correlation between mean tree height and and lemur abundance.[6] This explains why the primary lowland forests, which had the tallest trees and most canopy cover, had the greatest number of lemurs.[6] Lepilemur scotterum, avahi mooreorum,[6] and eulemur albifrons were mostly found in the greatest densities in these areas.[5] Other species, like avahi laniger, allocebus, and microcebus, were found in equal densities in primary, secondary, and degraded forests.[5]
A study of the Antserananomby Forest in western Madagascar in the 1960s and 70s showed it had the highest population densities for each lemur species living there.[7] A more recent study has shown that much of the forest has been cleared for agricultural use and population densities of lemurs have declined significantly.[7] Reduced forest size has been shown to have a direct negative effect on lemur diversity.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Scales, Ivan R. (2014). Conservation and Environmental Management in Madagascar (1st ed.). Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
- ^ a b Smith, Thomas M.; Smith, Robert Leo (2015). Elements of Ecology (9h ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson. ISBN 9781292077406.
- ^ Clark, Megan (2015). "Deforestation in Madagascar: Consequences of Population Growth and Unsustainable Agricultural Processes" (PDF). Global Majority e-Journal. 3 (1): 61–71.
- ^ a b c d e Schüßler, Dominik; Radespiel, Ute; Ratsimbazafy, Jonah Henri; Mantilla-Contreras, Jasmin (2018-12-01). "Lemurs in a dying forest: Factors influencing lemur diversity and distribution in forest remnants of north-eastern Madagascar". Biological Conservation. 228: 17–26. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2018.10.008. ISSN 0006-3207.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Murphy, Asia J.; Farris, Zach J.; Karpanty, Sarah; Ratelolahy, Felix; Kelly, Marcella J. (2016-06-01). "Estimating Encounter Rates and Densities of Three Lemur Species in Northeastern Madagascar". International Journal of Primatology. 37 (3): 371–389. doi:10.1007/s10764-016-9906-0. ISSN 1573-8604.
- ^ a b c d e f g Sawyer, Rachel Mary; Fenosoa, Zo Samuel Ella; Andrianarimisa, Aristide; Donati, Giuseppe (2017-01-01). "The effect of habitat disturbance on the abundance of nocturnal lemur species on the Masoala Peninsula, northeastern Madagascar". Primates. 58 (1): 187–197. doi:10.1007/s10329-016-0552-0. ISSN 1610-7365.
- ^ a b Kelley, Elizabeth A.; Sussman, Robert W.; Muldoon, Kathleen M. (2007/01). "The Status of Lemur Species at Antserananomby: An Update". Primate Conservation. 22 (1): 71–77. doi:10.1896/052.022.0105. ISSN 0898-6207.
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